The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

Smokers can kick the cancer stick now
Our Correspondent

Noida, December 25
India’s first clinic, launched to help smokers quit smoking, has shown remarkable progress. The quit smoking clinic has been started by the Noida Metro Hospital. It has shown encouraging results, thanks mainly to its unique approach to tobacco cessation programme.

According Dr Deepak Talwar of Noida Metro Hospital, quit-smoking works on the principle of assisting smokers to kick tobacco and help them to abstain from it for a long period till he becomes a confirmed non-smoker.

Emphasising the gravity of the problem, Dr Talwar said that 71 per cent of the smokers try to quit smoking during their lifetime, 30 per cent make serious attempts, while only 1 to 2 per cent succeed finally. With the family’s support and advice of specialised clinics, counselling, motivation and pharmacological therapy increase the success rate of those attempting to rid themselves of this addiction.

India is the third largest producer of tobacco in the world and there are 184 million (18.4 crore) users of tobacco in India, 60 per cent of them being smokers.

Over 55,000 young people take to smoking every year in India. Ironically, more than Rs 250 billion is spent on tobacco use, even as Rs 300 billion is spent on treatment of patients suffering from diseases related to smoking.

Out of 31 patients enrolled at the Metro quit-smoking clinic, 20 have already successfully quit smoking in the last two months. Some others are at different stages of quitting, while three have dropped out due to various reasons, said Dr Talwar. He disclosed that his patients at the clinics ranged from 18 years to 74 years, from uneducated villagers to highly educated professionals including three ladies. “We in India are suffering under the burden of tobacco abuse, costing us Rs 24,400 crore in buying tobacco and Rs 27,761 crore in treating diseases related to it. Surely, we need such clinics to educate people on the harmful effects of tobacco.”

NMC holds psychiatry camp
Our Correspondent

Noida, December 25
The present day life, full of stress, tension and strains is causing more and more people psychiatric and neurological problems. To attend these people, Noida Medicare Centre organised a “Free Psychiatry and Neurology Camp” on 23 December 2001 at NMC, Sector-30 Noida. Over 200 people received free consultation from renowned the psychiatrist Dr P.S. Das and neurologist Dr Sanjay Saxena. The patients with depression, do-addiction, mental retardation, stress management, psycho-sexual disordor, epilepsy, headache, migraine, nerve-muscle disorder, parkinsonism, backache and other complaints attended the camp.

The free medicines were distributed during the camp. The Noida Medicare Centre also offered a 25 per cent discount on further investigations to all those registered during the camp.

SPORTS

Hindustan record huge victory in DSA League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, December 25
Hindustan Club recorded a huge 6-0 victory over Frontiers Club in a Group A preliminary round match of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Senior Division Football League Championship at Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Tuesday. Three goals each were scored in either half.

In another match, Indian Nationals got a walkover from Jat Heroes in Group B, as Heroes did not turn up. Nationals are being sponsored by SAIL.

The highlight of Hindustan’s facile victory was four goals by inside-right Harinder Singh Rawat, who struck two goals in each half.

Hindustan opened the scoring in the second minute after start when Harinder Rawat put the ball in. Rawat himself made it 2-0 in the 18th minute while inside-left Karan Singh added the third goal in the 27th minute.

In the second half, Rawat scored two quick goals in the 39th and 53rd minutes, while outside-left Parvin Arora completed the scoring in the 63rd minute.

Parvin, along with Mughals’ custodian Vinay Singh, have been called for the national camp to be held in Patiala from December 27 by the All-India Football Federation.

Frontier defender Kuldip Singh was shown the yellow card by referee Govind Kanojia for rough play.

Wednesday’s fixtures: Youngmen vs Collegians (1.30 p m); Mughals vs Youngsters (3 p m)–Ambedkar Stadium.

ADMINISTRATION

Rs 131 cr disbursed to educated jobless
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, December 25
The nationalised banks in Sonepat district have disbursed an amount of Rs 131.56 crore among the educated jobless youths under the various self-employment schemes, launched by the Central and the state governments by the end of September. This was stated by Mr S. L. Arora, District Manager of the Punjab National Bank at a joint meeting of the District Level Review Committee and the District Consultative Committee held here on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner S. K. Roy presided over the meeting. A. K. Sawhney, AGM-cum-Senior Regional Manager of the Punjab National Bank, Ashok Kumar Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chief Executive Officer of the DRDA, Sushila Kaul, District Officer of the Reserve Bank of India, P. S. Rathi, AGM, NABARD, and other bank officers and heads of various government departments also attended the meeting.

The District Manager of the Punjab National Bank further disclosed that the nationalised banks had also disbursed an amount of Rs 102.21 crore as loan for agricultural purpose, Rs 14.53 crore for Small Scale Industries (SSI) and Rs 14.82 crore for other priority sector.

The commercial banks, he said, had given advance loans totalling Rs 38.53 crore whereas the cooperative banks had provided an advance of Rs 12.50 crore as loans under the various schemes, launched by the government during the period under review.

Mr Arora further disclosed that as many as 459 jobless youths had been provided loans under the Prime Minister’s Rozgaar Yojna. Loans had been provided to 178 people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. About 193 women also got benefited under the Prime Minister’s Rozgaar Yojna.

Other financial institutes had disbursed loans amounting to Rs 12.50 crore during the period under review. He also disclosed that the Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgaar Yojna, Swaran Jayanti Shehri Rozgaar Yojna, Krishi Card, Mini-Dairy and KVIB (Margin Money Scheme) were similar schemes of the government. The Deputy Commissioner reviewed the progress of the banks and expressed satisfaction at their progress. However, he expressed concern over the decline in CD ratio in the district and advised the bankers to provide more loans to achieve the desired level of CD ratio.

The Deputy Commissioner also advised the bankers to specifically look into the needs of the weaker sections of the society and see that loans are made available to them on easy terms and conditions in accordance with the instructions of the government.